Advancements in Biomonitoring and Remediation Treatments of Pollutants in Aquatic Environments

Dear Colleagues,

Surface and underground aquatic ecosystems endure the effects of contamination caused by large industrial, agricultural, port activities, urbanization processes, dumping of wastes, and wastewater discharges. This high anthropogenic pressure leads to a continuous habitat deterioration and decreases the water quality in the environment. Effective remediation in aquatic systems is a major issue worldwide, since the importance of good water quality for human health, in addition to the protection of environmental equilibrium, is now a firm public conviction. For this purpose, in recent decades, great effort has been focused on the development of unconventional monitoring tools combining chemical analysis, bioassays, and genomic technologies to obtain a complete insight into pollutants and their effects on organisms, as well as in proposing active or passive remediation treatments, including nanomaterials. Nevertheless, this is not an easy challenge. Aquatic organisms of different trophic levels have diverse life strategies, metabolism pathways, and consequently, they have a different response to pollutant pressure. About 14 million chemicals are already detected and characterized, and every day, new compounds are synthesized. “Emerging” pollutants like microplastics are the subject of great interest, while others can be considered for specialized use only, such as the tons of all kinds of warfare material intentionally dumped or lost in sea. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to collect the most recent studies on both biomonitoring strategies and remediation activity effective in ensuring “good ecological status” of water.

Dr. Elida Nora Ferri
Guest Editor

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